Our Diocese
The Diocese of Carlisle is the most north-westerly Church of England diocese in the British Isles. It borders Scotland to the North, Lancashire to the South and to the East can be found the Yorkshire Dales. In fact, the diocese almost covers the entirety of the county of Cumbria and is therefore a large geographical area, the second largest in the Church of England. Along with the second lowest populated diocese, this makes the diocese very sparsely populated.
Also covering a large part of the County of Cumbria, and encompassed by the diocese, is the Lake District National Park (LDNP). Arguably, the most beautiful of the national parks with its mix of mountains, lakes, and tarns, and enhanced by the upkeep of mountain tracks and easy access, the LDNP is huge tourist attraction to causal tourist and extreme mountaineer alike. The LDNP typically attracts 15+ million tourists a year and this is expected grow in the years ahead, as the LDNP won World Heritage status in 2017.
If the LDNP is only arguably the most beautiful national park, then there can be no doubt that the Diocese of Carlisle is the best diocese in the world... probably. The diocese has three archdeaconries — Carlisle, West Cumberland, and Westmorland & Furness. Within these archdeaconries there are 11 deaneries, which consist of 104 benefices containing 263 parishes and 340 church buildings. There are 99 stipendiary clergy and 33 self-supporting ministers, supported by 80 licensed lay ministers.
The Diocesan Offices were based in Carlisle at the West Walls, but officially moved in June 2016 to Friargate in Penrith. The Diocesan Offices are can now be found at:
Diocese of Carlisle
Church House
19-24 Friargate
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 7XR
Our Bishops
The Diocese of Carlisle has two bishops, the diocesan bishop, the Rt. Revd. Rob Saner-Haigh and an assistant or suffragan bishop, the Rt. Revd.. Canon Dr. Michael Leyden.
Bishop of Carlisle The Rt Rev Rob Saner-Haigh was announced as the next Bishop of Carlisle on 9 May, 2025, having been consecrated the Suffragan Bishop of Penrith on Friday 15 July, 2022. He is currently based in Kendal but on taking up the post of Bishop of Carlisle will move to Keswick. Hehas particular responsibility for the county’s God for All strategy; that everyone in Cumbria – of all ages and backgrounds – has the opportunity to know more about God and God’s purpose in their lives that they may become followers of Jesus in a Christian community. Rob has a deep knowledge both of the county and the Diocese, having served his curacy in Appleby Deanery before serving in the parishes of Dalston with Cumdivock, Raughtonhead and Wreay. He was Bishop’s Chaplain for three years and Director of Ordinands for two and from 2010 was the Vicar of Holy Trinity Kendal and assistant Rural Dean for seven years. He is also currently a member of the Northern Mission Centre Steering Group, a collaboration between God for All and Church Mission Society to support creative and innovative mission which has its base in Penrith. In 2020 he was appointed Residentiary Canon Director of Mission and Ministry in the Diocese of Newcastle - developing and overseeing the Mission and Ministry team, including the training and equipping of lay and ordained leaders and encouragement of mission and practical evangelism in parishes. He served there for two years prior to his consecration and a return to Cumbria. Rob was born and raised in Birkenhead on Merseyside prior to studying for a degree in Ancient History and Archaeology at Birmingham University, later completing his MPhil research in Archaeology. After working as an archaeologist, he worked for a church in Birmingham and then as a project manager in an IT firm before training for ordination at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. He is married to Emma. The couple have three children: Ollie, Jemima and Hal.
Bishop of Penrith After ordination, Michael served his curacy in the parish of Rainhill St Ann’s in the Diocese of Liverpool and then as vicar in the Benefice of Weston with Shavington in the Diocese of Chester. In both parishes he worked with lay leaders to develop a mixed ecology of church; time-honoured church working alongside new and pioneering forms. He has ministered in underprivileged, urban, sub-urban, and semi-rural contexts in various traditions. He has also been a local board member of the Triangle of Hope - a project through which three global Anglican dioceses with shared links to the historical slave trade look to transform the long history of slavery and the ongoing effects of present-day slavery through repentance, education, reconciliation and mission. Michael has been Dean of Emmanuel since 2021, overseeing the college community and heading up its Leadership Team from the organisation’s central headquarters near Warrington, Cheshire. He grew up on council estates on Merseyside before studying theology and philosophy at Oxford University and later gaining a PhD in theological ethics at the University of Chester. He has taught in universities and theological education institutions for 20 years, including alongside parochial ministry. Michael has drawn upon his working-class roots to champion the faith journey of others from under-represented backgrounds. He has worked on national Church projects to develop more diverse training pathways and recently appeared in a Church of England film to support vocations for those from similar upbringings to his own.
Our Deanery
Our deanery, which covers the majority of Furness peninsula, is Furness deanery and is one of four deaneries that make up the Archdeaconry of Westmorland & Furness — Kendal, Windermere, Barrow and ourselves. Our archdeacon is the Ven. Vernon Ross the Archdeacon of Westmorland and Furness and he is based in roughly the centre of the archdeaconry in Lindale in Cartmel at the top of Cartmel peninsula.
Archdeacon of Westmorland & Furness
There are 7 benefices, 18 parishes and 28 church buildings in Furness deanery, and there are plans to make the deanery area in to one Mission Community.
For more information about Furness deanery please do visit our webpage on the Carlisle diocesan website.
 |
